While Agile methodologies and frameworks are simple to understand – basically it's applied common sense – getting them to work successfully throughout an organization is a complex and often underestimated endeavor. This presentation, held at the 2015 ProductCamp in Berlin, explains the main reasons, why Agile fails to deliver in organizations.

1. Agile Failure Patterns In
Organizations
Why Agile Fails
ProductCamp 2015
Berlin, October 17th, 2015

2. Common Sense
The Four Core Principles of the Agile Manifesto*:
Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
Working software over comprehensive documentation
Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
Responding to change over following a plan
*http://www.agilemanifesto.org/

3. The Benefits Of Being Agile
• Less customer churn:
Focus on value ➜ better product ➜ happier customers
• Mitigate risk:
Focus on value ➜ less waste ➜ higher ROI
• High quality software:
Self-organization ➜ happier team-members ➜ less fluctuation ➜
higher productivity ➜ better code
• Improved organizations:
Collaboration with stakeholder ➜ organizational flaws revealed
• More financial value:
Better traction ➜ extended runway ➜ better valuation for next
round (If you’re a startup.)
Read the long version at the AoP blog: https://age-of-product.com/agile-failure-patterns-in-organizations/

4. Practical Reasons To Adopt Agile
Most popular ones:
• Low productivity – perceived or actual
• Low morale
• Senior people won’t join your company
• Budget constrains
• Competition drives innovation at a high pace
Read the long version at the AoP blog: https://age-of-product.com/agile-failure-patterns-in-organizations/

5. Four Levels Of Agile Adoption
• Organization
• Team
• Process
• Facility
Read the long version at the AoP blog: https://age-of-product.com/agile-failure-patterns-in-organizations/

6. Organizational Level (I)
• No (product) vision
• The fallacy of "We know what we need to
build”
• Micro-management by management
• No transparency
• No culture of failure
Read the long version at the AoP blog: https://age-of-product.com/agile-failure-patterns-in-organizations/

7. Organizational Level (II)
• No rapid build-test-learn culture ➜ friction
• Senior management is not participating in
Agile processes
• „When you put problem in a computer, box
hide answer. Problem must be visible!“*
*Hideshi Yokoi, former President of the Toyota Production System Support Center in Erlanger, Kentucky, USA
Read the long version at the AoP blog: https://age-of-product.com/agile-failure-patterns-in-organizations/

8. Organizational Level (III)
• Product management ➜ "Jira monkeys”
• Local optimization efforts w/o, bypassing
product
• Core responsibilities of the product
management covered by other departments,
e.g. tracking,
• Product managers w/o a dedicated team
Read the long version at the AoP blog: https://age-of-product.com/agile-failure-patterns-in-organizations/

9. Team Level (I)
• There are too many junior
• Engineers with an open source coding
mentality
• Teams are too small and hence not cross-
functional
• Teams are not adequately staffed, e.g. Scrum
Master positions are not
• Team members reject Agile methodologies
openly
Read the long version at the AoP blog: https://age-of-product.com/agile-failure-patterns-in-organizations/

10. Team Level (II)
• Teams are not self-organizing
• Team members abandon Agile quietly ➜
management fad
• Faux Agile: Teams follow the “Agile rules”
mechanically
• Moving people among teams upon short
notice.
Read the long version at the AoP blog: https://age-of-product.com/agile-failure-patterns-in-organizations/

11. Process Level
• Processes are bent or ignored
• Agile processes are tempered with (➜Product owner
becomes project manager)
• Stakeholders are bypassing product management
• Not enough communication among participants
Read the long version at the AoP blog: https://age-of-product.com/agile-failure-patterns-in-organizations/

12. Facility Level
• Places to talk: cafeterias, tea kitchens, sofas
etc.
• Whiteboards
• Agile offices
Read the long version at the AoP blog: https://age-of-product.com/agile-failure-patterns-in-organizations/

13. Your Experience?
Please add your experience to:
Agile Failure Patterns In Organizations
https://age-of-product.com/agile-failure-patterns-in-organizations/

14. How To Get In Touch:
stefan@age-of-product.com
@AgeOfProduct
@StefanW
Blog: https://age-of-product.com
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